Roots of Rhythm: Dance in Latin America
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Roots of Rhythm: Dance in Latin America From tango to salsa, from the mambo to the macarena, Latin American dance is enjoyed throughout the world. In honor of this year’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration, The Newark Public Library’s exhibit, “Roots of Rhythm: Dance in Latin America,” looks at the origins of some of the most popular dances and explores how in many countries dance was used as a unifying rallying point for Latin America’s very diverse populations.
Opening Reception and Salsa Night Thursday, September 14, 2006 Featured speaker, William Q. Sánchez, Executive Producer of Images/Imágenes and the NJN Hispanic Youth Showcase, will talk about the origins and hidden symbolism in various Latin American dances, illustrating his talk with live demonstrations and video clips. Salsa Night! Come and enjoy dance demonstrations by internationally renowned Latin dance company Cultural Explosion.
Images/Imágenes offers viewers public affairs programs with exciting specials on the performing arts and the Hispanic community. Sánchez has received several Emmy Award nominations from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with Images/Imágenes earning the network’s first New York Emmy Award in 1985. He is also the creative and motivating force behind the NJN Hispanic Youth Showcase, an annual program that gives Hispanic youths throughout the Garden State an unparalleled opportunity to demonstrate their talents and win scholarships. In 2000, this program received its first Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award following three years of Emmy nominations. The Arts Council Co-op regards the Showcase as one of the top six children’s programs in the nation. Click here for a larger image of Mr. Sánchez.
Linda Nieves-Powell, the award-winning writer of Yo Soy Latina!, conceived of the idea of Latina women performing as their male counterparts while touring the country with her plays, Yo Soy Latina! and Soul Latina. Linda says, “Male audience members would always ask me when I was going to write a male version of the Latino experience and I would always answer, I’m not a man, so why don’t you try it.” But after numerous requests she decided to take the challenge. The monologues in José Can Speak range from comical to serious and explore a variety of topics. From the war in Iraq, to the strict Rockefeller Laws to the guy at the Copa looking for love, or the gay Latino who marries a woman to get his father off his back, these stories all have one thing in common, they are inspired by real people. Performed as a series of colorful and diverse monologues, this show will entertain, educate, and provoke insightful thought about what truly resides in the heart of a Latino man as told by the Latinas. Click here for more information about the company.
An exciting presentation of Puerto Rican bomba and plena music and dance by Los Pleneros de la 21, the leading professional bomba and plena ensemble in the U.S. This full performance of original works and traditional repertoire is combined with interactive activities consisting of brief historical overview and hands-on activities focusing on the chants, dance or percussion, to offer a broad exposure and the excitement of the bomba and plena traditions. Repertoire includes recorded and unrecorded material exclusive to Los Pleneros de la 21 and the general domain of the tradition of bomba and plena. Click here for more information on Los Pleneros de la 21.
The passion of the Argentine tango returns to The Newark Public Library this fall when TEATRO Sí, the premier Hispanic theater arts company of New Jersey, brings a very special music and dance performance to this intimate venue as part of the Library’s 2006 Hispanic Heritage Celebration. Come enjoy a performance by professional tango dancers Carolina Jaurena and Carlos Acuña along with their special guest musicians and singer. Carolina and Carlos are the 2006 tango dance couple winners on the popular program Sábado Gigante on the Univision television network. Click here for more information on TEATRO Sí.
Musicians from some of America’s most renowned Latin bands trace the history of salsa music from its Afro-Cuban origins up to its tremendous impact on contemporary American pop. Learn about the basic techniques, the role of each instrument and the concept of the clave rhythm, the unifying element of salsa music. Schools and senior citizen centers: please make group reservations by calling 973-424-1831.
The Andean regions are among the richest in the world with regard to variety of musical and folkloric traditions. Long before the Spanish conquest, and even much before the Inca civilization, the diverse native cultures of the region had rich musical traditions. Two extraordinary groups, Taky Llaqta and Sumac Punchau, come together at The Newark Public Library to present a lively performance of traditional music and dance of the Andes Mountains of Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia using traditional instruments and featuring authentic, colorful Inca attire. Quechua was the language of the Inca empire. Today it is spoken by approximately 8 million people in South America. The Quechua words, “Sumac Punchau” and “Taky Llaqta” mean “beautiful sunrise” and “dancing people,” respectively. Additional information The dance group Taky Llaqta is a non-profit organization designed to promote the culture, music and dance of Peru. Its mission is to provide cultural education and training in traditional Andean music and dance to children and young people, as well as to disseminate information about Peru’s cultural heritage to the general public. It was established in 1994, in Paterson, New Jersey. For more information, please contact: takyllactanj@peru.com.
Join TAINO as they present a lively performance celebrating Latin American music, featuring reggae, calypso, limbo and more, with lots of audience participation.
Calpulli Mexican Dance Company presents an afternoon of the most cherished and also less known images and sounds of Mexico. Dedicated to proliferating a diverse image of Mexican cultural heritage, the dance company will perform selections from its vibrant repertoire with the renowned musical group, Bamba NY. The performance-based event will also feature interactive elements for the audience to join on stage as well as brief explanations about the history and symbolism of the dances and songs presented. Click here for more information on Calpulli Mexican Dance Company. |
William Q. Sánchez is the award-winning Executive Producer of 
Information and Facts about Latinos in the United States
What It Means to Be Latino
by Dr. Clara E. Rodríguez
U.S. Census Bureau – Hispanic Heritage Month
Facts About Hispanics in the United States
A Statistical Portrait of Hispanics at Mid-Decade
The most up-to-date compilation of statistics on the Latino population in the United States is based on the Pew Hispanic Center’s tabulations of the 2005 American Community Survey. The statistical portrait includes 32 tables on the social, economic and housing characteristics of Hispanics and other demographic groups, with comparisons to the 2000 Census.
The Pew Hispanic Center
Founded in 2001, the Pew Hispanic Center is a nonpartisan research organization supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Its mission is to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and to chronicle Latinos’ growing impact on the entire nation.
The Center conducts and commissions studies on a wide range of topics with the aim of presenting research that at once meets the most rigorous scientific standards and is accessible to the interested public. The Center also regularly conducts public opinion surveys that aim to illuminate Latino views on a range of social matters and public policy issues. The Center focuses on eight key subject areas:
- Demography – The patterns of Hispanic population growth and settlement across the United States.
- Economics – The wealth, well-being and wages of Latinos over time and in comparison to others.
- Education – The outcomes and the factors that produce them as well as Latino views on education policy issues.
- Identity – Attitudes towards a variety of matters shape the ways that Latinos see themselves and their place in U.S. society.
- Immigration – The foreign born as a factor in population growth, their origins and characteristics.
- Labor – Hispanic’s role in the labor force and the impact of business cycles on their employment and wages.
- Politics – Levels of participation, views on policy issues and partisan loyalties.
- Remittances – The billions of dollars sent home by Latino immigrants, how they are sent and how they are spent.
Salsa Traditions – “Salsa On 2”
North End Branch
October 11, 2006
4:00 pm
Homenaje a Puerto Rico — Puerto Rican Recognition Day
Clinton Branch
November 6, 2006
3:30 pm
Make a fun project to celebrate Hispanic Heritage.
Supported in part by a grant from the Essex County Division of Culture and Historic Affairs, with funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
All programs are free and open to the general public.
For more information call 973-733-7772.
